Thank you for attending our little party...

I'm so glad you were able to make it to my little party, old sport.

As you have witnessed in The Great Gatsby, the world is a small place and characters all overlap in some way: sometimes they come to together to help one another (either for good or bad), or in many cases, their pursuits and goals clash and they find themselves fighting each other every step of the way.  Such was the case for the 1920s, the scene Fitzgerald wanted to depict in the novel, and hopefully so was the parlor talk/simulation you experienced today.  

So, for this week's blog post, you'll partake in some Gatsby-esque Gossip. You will write this post from the perspective of your individual.

DUE: Tuesday, November 29 

1.  Please first recap some of the conversations you had with other guests (entertainment, organized crime, etc) as well as your group members.  Synthesize and make connections between specific people, picking 1-2 individuals from other groups as well as within your topic group to do this.

2.  Now, focus on your group as a whole. Explain the connections you saw between your group and other groups, specifically mentioning details from individuals from those groups. What issues/ beliefs/ goals/topics seem connected to your group based on the conversations you had and the discussion you had after the rounds?  Please mention at least 2 different topics and groups.  

HELPFUL SYNTHESIS VERBS:

Extend, Build, Challenge, Corroborate, Validate, Substantiate, Support, Verify, Confirm, Complicate

Grading Criteria & Expectations:
- How specific you are in your details from the parlor talk (reference your gossip sheet).
- Mentioning specific information and details from your research on your individual.
- Staying "in character" and explaining your person's point of view on the parlor talk.
- 250 word minimum
- organized into paragraphs with proper grammar, punctuation, etc.
- image of yourself (in character) from the parlor talk or an image that supports your connections or person.

Outside Reading for an Inside Perspective

Since our first ORB reading has come to an end, it is time to share and reflect on what you have read. Literature is a unique opportunity that individuals can use to gain access to a different or deeper understanding of societal problems, flaws or issues.

For this post, you will reference your ORB and quotation tracker:

I. Provide a brief synopsis of your ORB (include title and author).
II. Explain how your ORB addresses different societal issues throughout the novel (you must include and reference at least 2 of your quotations from your tracker).

• What societal issue or concern does your ORB address in the novel?
• HOW does your author introduce the issue or concern? Do they discuss it directly? Do they imply it through parallels, characters, etc?
• What impact does it have on the society in the novel?

III. How can your ORB serve as a way to comment on OUR current societal problems or flaws? Essentially, where and how do you see the issue from your novel in our current world? What do you think we should do to address this issue?

Remember, your post must:

• have a title that reflects the content of your post
• be at least 250 words
• organized into paragraphs
• have an image related to your societal concern/issue
• answer all parts of the prompt

Why so serious?

Throughout this unit, we've looked at the way that some people use humor to address serious issues, such as racism. Many of us find these shows, movies, & pop culture icons to be entertaining, however some of them still display an inherent racist mentality that becomes lost amongst the laughter.

While some shows, like those we watched clips of in class, use them for quick laughs, others actually try to direct this humor towards addressing the problem instead of perpetuating it.

For your next blog post (#2), you will find an example from the media or entertainment industries that address a racist concept, stereotype, etc. You can search through TV shows, movies, popular novels/comics, etc. If you think of another example, you can always ask if you can use it! The only ones off-limits are the examples we've used in class.

You can take one of two routes:


Option #1) An example that is used for comedic purposes but lacks an obvious criticism.

• Identify the stereotype or racist situation that is addressed. Explain how it is used for comedic purposes (what is supposed to be funny about it?) and then explain the problem with this. 
• Explain your opinion/thoughts on the example (Is it funny or is it offensive?). How does the exposure to examples like this impact people?

Option #2) A satirical example that uses the comedy to criticize the problem (SNL, Daily Show, etc)

• Identify what makes the example "funny" (ie: the literary weapon being utilized), the target and what the larger criticism is.
• Explain your opinion/thoughts on the example (Is it effective?) . How does the exposure to examples like this impact people?

As always, please remember to follow the blog post guidelines. If you have questions about what the post entails, let me know!

Welcome! Week of August 15-19th

Hi everyone!

Welcome to our English 11 class blog! We will use our blogging sites as an informal way to share our thoughts and ideas and to get to know one another.

Feel free to customize your space! Just make sure you are reserving it for English class content.

Today's assignment to be completed by the end of the day:

1. Create your blog! 
2. Complete this Google form to let me know your blog information.

By Friday, August 19th, 2016, please complete the following as your FIRST blog entry (see handout for specific requirements).

1. Introduce yourself to your classmates! You can share info from your letter to me if you'd like. Share some of your experiences and highlights of high school/Dougherty!

• Since you have to include an image for each post, if you'd like to add a picture of yourself, your family, friends, etc for this one, you absolutely can!

2. What do you believe is one of the biggest issues in the US today that people are divided about or have differing opinions about? Explain why and provide (at least) one example.